


A Diakko Christmas Party

by Wesblorb



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drinking, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Minor Original Character(s), Pining, they’re 18 so they’re of legal drinking age in England
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28304610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wesblorb/pseuds/Wesblorb
Summary: Akko has more Christmas cheer than she knows what to do with so she invites everyone to a great big Christmas party, starting with a certain platinum blonde witch who may or may not be crushing on her big time.The only problem is that Luna Nova’s top student is a bit of a lightweight
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 8
Kudos: 115
Collections: Diakko favorites





	1. Diana gets an invitation

“Merry Christmas!” Came the call of one very excited Japanese witch decked in a red Christmas sweater, a Santa hat, and a sense of enthusiasm that didn’t resonate quite so well with the platinum blonde witch sitting at the table she had excitedly slammed her hands down upon. If it had been any other person on campus except for said ridiculously enthusiastic witch, she probably would have been upset she was interrupted while studying. Because it was Akko, however, she was happy to take a break and indulge in a sudden happy distraction.

“Akko, it’s December 1st. I hope for your sake you didn’t trouble yourself to get gifts wrapped early,” joked the Cavendish witch. She wasn’t much of the joking type or even the ‘taking breaks’ type, or at least she hadn’t been in the past. Now a senior, she didn’t mind taking some time to enjoy the smaller things in life when they came up. Like for instance, the pouting of an extremely cute girl who wanted you to be as excited as she was about something.

“Diana!” whined Akko, “Let me just have this one! It’s bad enough Sucy and Lotte wouldn’t let me put up decorations until December, I’m not gonna wait until Christmas Day to do holiday stuff!” Diana knew very well that third on the list of things Akko loved most behind Shiny Chariot and magic was Christmas. Since her mother passed however, it was never something she herself was all that excited for. Though since meeting Akko, with each passing year she began to look forward to it more if only for how happy it made her. 

This year was no exception and Akko was filled with as much Christmas joy as ever. “Sooooo because I’ve been waiting so long, I decided that as soon as December came around I’d throw a big Christmas party!”

“Wouldn’t you rather do that when it’s closer to Christmas, or maybe after exams at least?” Diana asked, trying and failing to apply normal sensibilities to an Akko-related endeavor. If nothing else it would result in an equally illogical and entertaining answer.

“Didn’t you hear me? I’ve already been waiting for a month! Besides, as soon as exams are over more people are gonna start getting ready to go home for the break. Plus we’ll all be so drained we won’t be able to think about anything but sleeping. So I figured I’d throw a big party early in the month so everyone can have fun and relax a little before exams and maybe we’ll throw a more chill party with all the people who are still here when they finish. It’s the perfect plan!” Akko touted.

“It...actually sort of is.” Diana was no stranger to overworking herself when it came to studying before something important. She also knew that once winter exams were over, even her overly ambitious freshman self would clear some time afterward to simply crash and recuperate. “This could actually be a lot of fun.”

“See? I’m not a dumb kid anymore I can make good plans now sometimes,” she said proudly with her hands on her hips. “It’s gonna be this Friday, and it’s gonna be great!”

“So who else is going?” Diana asked, still new to the ‘partying’ scene and wanting to get a sense of how big the event would be.

“Don’t know yet,” Akko replied before beaming a bright smile, “You’re the first one I invited.” 

“M-me?”

“Well yeah of course, if I couldn’t get you to come first then what would even be the point?”

**Ba-dump**

“Oh thank you, that...means a lot, _”_ Diana said, growing a bit quieter as she spoke.

“I’m glad you’re coming, I know parties aren’t usually your thing. I’d love to stay and chat but I’ve gotta whole lotta people to invite next. I’ll talk to you more at the party!” With that, Akko left off handing out invitations to everyone she came across, including the staff fairies. The happy bounce in her step as she walked and the sound of her humming familiar Christmas tones managed to put Diana at ease rather quickly.

Or at least...that was until Akko had come to the Green Team’s table. Diana hadn’t heard their full conversation, but she picked up the end of it. 

“Great, I’ll bring the booze!” Amanda shouted.

_Oh, right..._

Upon further thinking, she should’ve expected there would be alcohol there. It wasn’t as if Akko was a heavy drinker but she did tend to enjoy it when she got the chance, and naturally, it would be something she’d want at a party where everyone was supposed to have a chance to unwind and have fun. A glass of wine every now and then was fine, but beyond that Diana’s tolerance wasn’t all that impressive. Or as her roommates had so lovingly put it ‘comically nonexistent’. It wasn't as if anyone would force her to drink at the party, but it’s not the most fun thing in the world to be the only one not drinking while everyone else is. And while she could just keep to herself, she knew how worried Akko would be if it seemed like she wasn’t having fun.

_What am I going to do,_ she thought with her eyes fully focused on Akko running about the lunch hall handing out invitations, each time saying “Merry Christmas!” In the same sing-songy tone. Diana hadn’t exactly made much progress but she’d still like to believe that one of these days she’d gather the courage and share her feelings with Akko. Neither option of being a stick in the mud at her last big school Christmas party or playing the role of a lightweight drunk buffoon who’d do gods know what sounded particularly exciting to her.

_Akko, I can’t just stare from afar forever. It’s not as if there aren’t plenty of other girls out there who see exactly what I see in you or that I have the time to waste before one of them makes a move first. Though I suppose there’s nothing wrong with staring just a moment longe-_

“See anything good?” 

“Gah!” Diana quite literally squeaked in surprise before turning around to reveal both of her roommates. The natural reaction would be to deny she was staring, but truly what was the point anymore? Diana simply laid her head on the table and gave up trying to hide her inner turmoil.

“Ugggghh”

“Wow, you actually groaned, what happened?” Hannah asked.

“She’s throwing a Christmas party,” Diana stated flatly.

“Alright, so what’s the problem? Conflicting schedule? Not feeling well? Or maybe-”

“O’Neill is bringing alcohol,” Diana stated dryly.

“Ah, would’ve gotten there eventually.” Hannah had embraced the ‘will they won’t they’ nature of Diana’s lovelife years ago, and had made a game of trying to figure out what sitcom-esque predicament she’d end up in next before Diana had even realized she loved Akko. 

“What do I do?” Came the monotone voice of the distressed Cavendish, still face down against the lunch table.

“You go, you tell Akko you don’t drink like that, and you try and push her under the first mistletoe you find. Simple.” Unlike Hannah, Barbara had long since grown tired of waiting for the two to get together.

“I don’t want to ruin her party. If I go and I keep to myself she’ll be worried about me the whole time.”

“So? She’s Akko, she worries about you all the time. Besides you do the same for her too, you’re literally doing it right now.” Hannah’s years of experience in dealing with Diana’s love problems made her a natural master at defusing whatever excuses Diana could make to take the easy way out. 

“Also, it’s not like everyone there will be drinking. We don’t usually drink that much so we can stay with you if you want. Not to mention, Amanda might be the one bringing the alcohol but Akko’s the host, and as loose as she is on rules I doubt she’s one to encourage underage drinking. So maybe try and talk to your juniors a bit.”

“But-” Diana turned to speak and almost bit her tongue realizing what she was about to say. She wasn’t necessarily embarrassed about her feelings anymore but there were some things that were still hard to say.

“But you’d rather spend the night with Akko?” Hannah quickly guessed. Leaving Diana to simply blush and lay her head in her hands.

“This will be our last year as classmates, after this we’ll both have our own ambitions which may lead us to different places. I want to be able to spend time with her while I have the chance.”

“That’s sweet and all,” Barbs commended, “But you're missing out on an obvious solution. If you don’t wanna drift apart then tell her how you feel. Don’t just stay a classmate or a friend, get in there and become a part of her life!” 

“You don’t have to push yourself too hard, but at the very least go for a bit and try and have a good time. You can always slip out later if it gets to be too much,” Hannah added, wanting to make sure not to lay on so much pressure it prevented her from enjoying the party. 

“I...” she was almost at a loss for words, “thank you, both of you. It means a lot that you’re still helping me with this after all this time.” 

“It's what we’re here for, just promise us you won’t wait another year to tell her how you feel,” Barbara lightly jabbed.

“I won’t. Even if I wanted to, I don’t believe I have the luxury anymore.” It was troubling to know she couldn’t put it off much longer, but relieving to know that in a year’s time it wouldn’t be something she was worrying about regardless of how things turned out.

Before long the bell rang, and the three prepared their belongings and began to head to their next period classes. As much as Diana still held to her goal of being a model student, she supposed she could let herself be a little bit distracted by pleasant thoughts of what could go right at the party...at least that was before one certain awkward encounter.

“Hey,”

Before she could leave the cafeteria, she was stopped by a certain red-haired American witch whose mention of alcohol had been the trigger for her recent turmoil. She had put a hand on Diana’s shoulder to both stop her and get her attention but only said one other thing to her before leaving abruptly. 

“Good luck at the party.”

Almost immediately Diana’s head was grounded from its brief stint in the clouds.

_This is already boding poorly isn’t it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to have the whole work done by Christmas but that didn’t exactly happen, writer’s block and all that. Anyways MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE🎄!


	2. The party starts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *See chapter title

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m fully aware this is a Christmas fic which at this rate won’t wrap up until February and tbh I did consider abandoning it but everyone’s nice comments convinced me to keep going.

Friday had finally rolled around. While Diana couldn’t help but have some unease in regards to how the night would progress, she’d be lying if she said there wasn’t some excitement along with it. Though she was much more accustomed to formal celebrations, she was somewhat relieved that it was a causal event (as were her roommates, who had once spent an hour helping her feel confident on what clothes to pack when she’d visited Akko’s home in Japan during the holiday season the year before).  
  
As she first stepped into the lunch hall, the fruits of Akko’s passion and hard work had become immediately apparent.  
  
What had been nothing more than the same cafeteria as usual just a day prior was now completely adorned in Christmas spirit. Wreaths and tinsel were spread bountifully, stockings hung from banisters, and even as the party was going, fairies and student alike were adding ornaments to a large tree at the end of the hall. A tree which it appears was left purposefully bare so others could decorate it themselves as the party went on.  
  
Diana had half expected any Christmas tree Akko was involved with to be adorned with so many lights it would be a fire hazard, and yet it never was quite that easy. Such was the reason the other half of her expectancy was betting she would do something brilliant or ridiculous no one else could have come up with. Akko was always doing things like that, amazing things to shake up the dull constants of the Cavendish girl's life. Diana couldn’t help but think of how much amazing progress Akko had made over the years, and how it made her own trivial matter of gathering the courage to confess her feelings seem so pitiful.  
  
 _All the more reason I need to find her and make what little progress I can._  
  
Before she could get the chance, she found herself approached by a nervous-looking witch she hadn’t seen before, likely a freshman.  
  
“Um, hi,” The young teal haired girl spoke.  
  
“Hi,” Diana responded. She wasn’t very good with social interaction with her juniors but luckily for her, the girl in front of her appeared far more nervous than herself.  
  
“M-my name’s Monet. I uh, I’m a big fan”  
  
“Oh,” Diana said surprised, “I wasn’t aware I had fans.” She did vaguely recall Akko mentioning something about there being many underclassmen who had looked up to both of them in particular, as well as the rest of the ‘new nine witches’.  
  
“Yeah, I was watching on TV when you took care of that missile, I-I mean I’m sure a bunch of people were watching cause it was super important an’ all but-” it was somewhat flattering watching the girl stammer over her words as if she was speaking to some celebrity, but more so it just made Diana curious whether she was worth being star-struck over.  
  
 _I wonder if this is what Akko would’ve been like if she discovered Professor Ursula’s secret a bit sooner._  
  
“What I mean to say is it was just really inspirational for me. Both of my moms are witches and I’ve always wanted to be one too but I was doubting whether there was still a place in the world for them. Seeing you use magic to save the world like that really made me feel hopeful again. Before that, I wasn’t considering Luna Nova, but I kinda, well...” she began to trail off with a clear flustered look, covering her face and cheeks “...joined because I figured if I was only three grades behind, then I’d get a chance to meet you before you graduated.”  
  
It was at this point the poor girl was practically melting in her boots while avoiding all eye contact.  
  
“Thank you, I’m honored that I was your inspiration to attend Luna Nova. Though I have to say, you should meet Akko if you haven’t yet, she’s much more amazing than I am. There’s no way I could’ve done anything without her there.”  
  
“Oh,” Monet replied, noticing how fondly Diana talked about her brunette companion, “So are you two...close?”  
  
“Well we weren’t so much during that time but we’ve come to be much greater friends since then,” she couldn’t help but blush when thinking about how much she and Akko had grown together, “Though to be perfectly honest I may wish we were a little closer at times.”  
  
...  
  
Diana’s sudden boldness seemed to have taken both girls off guard, leaving them briefly stunned and making it apparent that no, Diana did not mean to say that out loud.  
  
“Please don’t take that the wrong way!” Diana practically sped through each word to try and correct the situation as quickly as possible, “I just meant that exams have made things busy and we haven’t been able to talk much and-“  
  
“Umm,” Monet had been wondering whether to ask the question as it would most likely just make things awkward, but given Diana’s clear affection it may have been possible.  
  
“Are you and Akko dating!?” She asked, still avoiding eye contact.  
  
 _Dating,_  
  
 _Dating..._  
  
 _DATING!?_  
  
“I’m sorry I have to go,” before Diana could even think of an excuse to give her, she started shuffling off with her head held down. She couldn’t let a junior of her’s see how ~~happy~~ embarrassed the suggestion of being in a relationship with Akko made her.  
  
 _What am I doing?_  
  
Between letting her emotions slip so easily and abruptly storming off, she felt like even though she hadn’t even had a drop of alcohol yet, she was already acting like a bumbling fool.  
  
 _This is too much, I need to talk to someone I know._  
  
Before she had much chance to think about it, she’d find herself literally bumping into the most suitable person for the job, and almost hard enough to knock her glasses off too.  
  
“Oh! Sorry Lotte!” Diana apologized as the Finish girl fixed her glasses.  
  
“Don’t worry I’m fine,” Lotte reassured, “Are you though? I mean, you certainly seem like you’re in a hurry.” Living with Akko for several years had trained Lotte to deal with recollecting herself after clumsy bump-ins, she just hadn’t expected it from Diana of all people.  
  
“Right, that. This is just a little more than I’m used to and the music is a bit loud so I wanted to get somewhere quieter and talk with someone I’m already acquainted with.” She may have skipped some key details but it wasn’t a lie, she was happy to see a familiar face.  
  
“Y’sure it has nothing to do with whatever that freshman girl said before you stormed off not looking where you were going?” Sucy had so naturally blended in with the shadows that Diana didn’t notice her behind Lotte before she started talking. “Must’ve really been something to make you all red and panicked like that,” she teased while cackle-giggling.  
  
“What I discuss with others is none of your business!” She wanted to appear authoritative but that didn’t stop her from looking towards the floor when she spoke.  
“Anyways, if you’re both here where’s Akko?”  
  
“That’s just the thing,” Lotte chimed back in, “We haven’t seen her since when we first got here. She’s probably either still working to set things up or she’s just now finally taking a break somewhere.”  
  
Diana had hoped it was the latter. One cursory glance around was all it took to reveal everyone was already having a good time, she’d hoped Akko wasn’t trying to outdo herself further than she already has.  
“She’s been working nonstop on this party, and while it’s great to see her so devoted, I want to make sure she has a chance to enjoy it after all the hard work she’s put into it.”  
  
Lotte couldn’t help but giggle, though her’s was a lot more melodic and less sinister than Sucy’s.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Nothing, it’s just that even though it’s been a long time, it’s still strange to hear you being worried about Akko overworking herself and not the other way around. I think it sweet that you both look after each other.”  
  
“Akko’s very important to me,” Diana said with a less than concealed blush.  
  
“If she is taking a break, you should probably find her then before she drinks herself stupid on that plum wine her mom sent her,” Sucy interjected.  
  
“....what?”  
  
 _Again with the alcohol._  
  
“We told Amanda to chill on the strong stuff then Akko’s mom goes and sends her some fancy foreign stuff anyway. I’m surprised you don’t know yet, she’s been saving it for tonight and hasn’t shut up about wanting to try it for the past week”.  
  
“Really?” It's the first I’m hearing of it.” It wasn’t as if it was something she _needed_ to hear about, but she couldn’t say she particularly liked it being something she was _left out_ on.  
  
Lotte could sense a small bit of tension in Diana’s voice. “I’m sure she just didn’t want to bother you by talking your ear off is all.”  
  
“Doubt it,” Sucy came in with a dose of bitter realism, “She probably just doesn’t want to flaunt it in front of somebody that can’t hold their alcohol worth shi-“  
  
“Who told you that?!” Diana cut in having heard enough.  
  
“Amanda”  
  
 _Why that little_!  
  
Diana’s fists were clenched at her sides as she deeply breathed in and out to calm herself down. “I don’t know what led her to believe that or to tell you that but it’s not true. If that is Akko’s reasoning then she has nothing to hide from me. In fact, I wouldn’t mind trying some myself if it’s something she wants to share with others.”  
  
“I don’t know about that Diana, it’s pretty strong stuff,” Lotte warned, “It’s not something I’d recommend if you don’t have a high tolerance.”  
  
Sucy was giving Diana the same serious look as Lotte, though it was mostly just with her eyebrows as opposed to her whole face. “She’s right you know, she rushed us to try it as soon as we came through the door. It’s like her mom’s trying harder to poison her than I do.”  
  
“Putting that last part aside for a second, I’m sure it can’t be that bad. Besides-”  
It wasn’t the fact that they were under the impression she was a lightweight that bothered Diana, but the fact that Akko felt the need to keep something from her. Once upon a time, Akko’s constant rambling was enough to make Diana want to pull her hair out. Now though, she found it rather well...cute. Maybe it was just that Akko didn’t want to trouble her as Lotte said, but she’d grown fond of the way Akko could babble on endlessly when it came to things she was deeply passionate about. “-I don’t want her thinking she can’t talk about her interests with me anymore. I need to find her so I can set the record straight.”  
  
Sucy just rolled her eyes (or at least the visible one). “Last we saw her she was hanging some decorations on the second floor. Good luck.”  
  
“I don’t appreciate that I keep hearing that from the most insincere people I know.”

* * *

As Diana climbed the steps, her eyes managed to lock on to a familiar brown ponytail down the second-floor hall.

  
“Akko!” Diana yelled trying to get her attention.  
  
Akko all but immediately whipped her head with a smile on her face, excited to see Diana...only for her smile to falter slightly when she noticed the girl walking towards her seemed a bit upset about something.  
  
“Uh, did I do something wrong?” Akko asked as Diana came to a stop. She both looked and felt not quite guilty yet, but wondering if she should.  
  
Diana on the other hand was realizing that perhaps she had less reason to be heated than she thought. “Well, no. You haven’t done anything _wrong._ But there is something I need to ask about.”  
  
“Oh ok, what’s up?”  
  
“Well...”  
  
 _Damn_  
  
What was the best way to say ‘I’ve heard that you talked about something to everyone but me for fear of hurting my feelings and while you are sweet and it’s one of my reasons for quite literally being in love with you, all it does is make me jealous for not being included and push me close to doing something foolish to get closer to you’ without saying anything resembling such a sentence in the slightest?  
  
 _I suppose the best option would be to try and lead into it._  
  
“Your dorm mates have been trying to find you for some time now. For someone who usually stands out so much, you seem to do a good job blending in at your own party.”  
  
 _That should work as a start._  
  
“Well yeah of course. I maaay have wanted to do a big thing where I show off the performance magic I’ve been practicing and I also maaaaay have had a custom Santa and Shiny Chariot mashup outfit ready, but Lotte and Sucy convinced me that it would have been a bit much. I’m glad they did cause after going through invitations, food, decorations, and all that other junk I’m _SO TIRED_. Speaking of which, if they’re worried about where I am can you tell them I’m just taking a break upstairs?”  
  
“Actually, I’m pretty sure they can see me from where they’re standing downstairs,” Diana said looking over the railing while also completely lying and having no idea where the two were among the crowd. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit down as well.”  
  
Akko scooched over to make room and the two sat in silence for a bit, not quite sure what to say.  
  
 _I suppose if the conversation won’t move naturally, I should just ask._  
  
“Anyways Akko, what’s that you have there?” She asked gesturing towards the bottle of wine at her side.  
  
“Oh that, it’s uh-just a little something my parents sent me. Nothing too important or anything, haha.” The sheepish way she rubbed the back of her neck and forced her laugh did little to hide what was now a very clear attempt to leave Diana out of the loop.  
  
“Funny, Lotte and Sucy made it sound like it was something you were very excited for,” Diana retorted, perhaps a bit too quickly, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say it’s almost like you were hiding it from me.”  
  
...  
  
The pause as the music switched between songs and the momentary halt of footsteps and chatter couldn’t have been more than a single second, but the fact that it only served to highlight an already awkward moment didn’t help.  
  
 _Crap, that was supposed to come off as a joke._  
  
“I’m sorry that was rude of me.”  
  
Akko looked like she didn’t know how to respond, and also like she finally found her answer from earlier as to what she had to feel guilty about. “No, you’re pretty much right. I’m the one that should be sorry.”  
  
Diana inched closer to her, feeling like they were just a bit too far apart on all levels but that it was easiest to get closer to her physically.  
  
“You don’t have to be sorry, I just think it’s an odd thing to make the effort of keeping from me. You realize now that you’re 18 I won’t scold you for bringing alcohol into the school right?”  
  
Akko laughed, much more naturally than before. Just the way Diana liked it. “Well, it’s just...you don’t drink, and I didn’t want to pressure you into doing anything that would make you uncomfortable. After all-” Diana thought but desperately hoped she wasn’t imagining, but she could’ve sworn she saw Akko blush slightly, “-it was really important to me that you came today.”  
  
Diana beamed a quick small smile to her worried crush to let her know everything was ok. “Akko, please don’t concern yourself with that. I’m fine. And while I don’t do it often, it’s not as if I never drink. What made you think I didn’t anyway?”  
  
“Well um, Amanda kinda told me that-“  
  
 _Is it her mission to be more of an annoyance than usual today?_  
  
“It doesn’t matter what she told you. If it’s something you want to share then I’d love to try a glass.”  
  
“You sure? It’s pretty strong.” Akko warned, mirroring her teammate's concerns.  
  
“Akko please, I’m not so much of a lightweight that one glass of wine will be something to worry about.”


	3. The party takes a turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko gets more than she bargained for and Amanda gets a story out of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 was getting long so I decided to split it in two.

“I tried to warn her,” Akko told Lotte while motioning her head to the girl asleep on her shoulder after one glass of plum wine.  
  
“So did me and Sucy,” Lotte giggled, “but you know how persistent she is.”  
  
“Wait Sucy _warned_ her, you sure it wasn’t like a reverse psychic...psycho...whatever that word is trick to make her want to try it more instead?” Akko asked being completely serious yet making Lotte laugh anyway.  
  
“Maybe, but I think she was just being kind in the spirit of the holidays.”  
  
“Hmmm, doubt it,” Akko’s attention quickly turned back to Diana, “She does look cute when she’s sleeping though, so I don’t mind staying here with her.”  
  
A quiet grin spread across Lotte’s face at that moment. “Maybe you should tell her that when she’s asleep?” Lotte not so suddenly hinted with a tilted eyebrow.  
  
“Lotte,” The tone of Akko’s voice fell considerably, “I told you, I know I should just tell her how I feel, but I don’t want to try and risk making things weird if I don’t even think she likes me back.” They were words of acceptance but there was a clear tinge of sadness in her voice when she spoke them, which was only made more clear by the sheepish way she rubbed the back of her neck and turned her eyes to the side. “Diana’s great, I love that we’re friends and that we’re close now and I know she does too. So I’m fine with it, even if it’s not _me_ that she loves, at least not like that.”  
  
It saddened Lotte greatly how Akko’s charming overabundance of confidence would only cease to shows its face when it came to matters of the heart. That being said, if she couldn’t psyche herself up to go for it then logically the responsibility should go to the person next most involved. No not Diana, i.e. the girl her crush is on. Rather the girl who’d lost many actual hours of sleep over the would-be pairing.  
  
Lotte had tried not to let her love of everything romance-tropey interfere with how she handled actual people's lives too much but there were times where she couldn’t help it. ‘The talentless rookie becoming bitter (though self-proclaimed) rivals with the rich haughty elite only to grow her skills and friendship alongside the girl and soften her heart in the process’ was too good of a story to let slip away.  
  
She wanted what was best for both Akko and Diana as their friend, but there was a part of her that felt she may never forgive them if they miss the opportunity.  
  
“I mean it!” Lotte shouted, loud enough to startle Akko without waking the still sound asleep Cavendish on her shoulder. “It’s not like you to give up on something before giving it a chance. Even if she didn’t like you, your approach would usually be to try something crazy to win her over. And if she does like you, she’d probably be a lot more scared of showing her feelings than you are. You know how she is with stuff like that.” Akko knew Diana better than most people these days, but Lotte figured it couldn’t hurt to remind her that with as much as she’s progressed she still wasn’t exactly the most sociable or emotionally wise  
  
“Well, yeah you’re right I guess,” Akko accepted begrudgingly, “But that still doesn’t mean-“  
  
“I’m not saying that she does or doesn’t like you or that things are guaranteed to work out well, I’m just saying don’t count yourself out if you don’t know how she feels either.”  
  
That conversation had transpired over 10 minutes ago, and yet it was still on Akko’s mind. Specifically the words “don’t count yourself out” were bouncing back and forth inside her head.  
  
 _I mean, I guess it isn’t impossible. Who knows how she feels?_  
  
Akko decided that for the moment that was what she was going to leave herself with, because sometimes uncertainty was better than assuming the worst.  
  
Before Akko could delve too deep into that thought, she was promptly interrupted.  
  
“H-hi”  
  
“Huh, oh hello,” Akko said, turning her head and coming face to face with one extremely nervous teal-haired freshman.

* * *

_What’s...what’s happening_  
  
Blue eyes sitting above flushed red cheeks started to reveal themselves, peeking out from behind fluttering sleepy eyelids.  
  
 _Where am I again?_  
  
She started to look around, she heard voices, a lot of them. But mostly Akko and Monet. They were the only ones she was awake enough to see from her position.  
She tried to listen to their conversation, but she could only pick up pieces.  
  
 _Why is she talking to Akko?_  
  
“It’s been great meeting you. I’m still not sure where everything is or who to talk to about certain stuff so do you think maybe you could show me around and tell me about it all some time?” Monet asked being nothing but genuine, though her intentions may have been misinterpreted by a certain someone.  
  
 _That...that sounds like a pick-up line! Is she trying to steal Atsuko from me?!  
  
_

* * *

“I’d love to but I feel like even now saying ‘I know what I’m doing and where everything is’ would be an exaggeration, half the time I just kinda step out into the hall and muscle memory will take me where ever I need to be.” Akko was joking, but all good jokes contain a bit of the truth. “If anything Diana’s the one you should-“ Akko was about to recommend before turning her head and being surprised by several things. 

One, Diana was awake. Two, Diana had started squeezing her arm. Three, she’d leaned her head forward, and was staring daggers at Monet.  
  
“Mine,” Diana said plainly while latching on to Akko’s arm harder. She didn’t need to say it with any force or ferocity, the implications alone had been enough to shake both other girls once the initial shock was done freezing them in place.  
  
“What?!”  
“ **EH?!?!”**  
  
“W-w-wait it’s not like that I-I swear! She’s just had too much to drink is al-“  
  
“Are you cheating on me?!” Diana yelled at Akko, having completely forgotten about both Monet and the fact that the two were not in a relationship.  
  
“Uhhh, no? I mean I don’t think I can because we’re not-“  
  
“You suck at apologies!” Diana yelled once again. “You know I don’t like you talking to other girls!”  
  
Most of Akko’s shock had at this point turned to confusion at how to handle the situation. She’d more or less pictured that a drunk Diana would mostly act the same but floppier. She hadn’t been prepared for dealing with the hyper-emotional, illogical, yet still completely articulate witch who lay before her, asking of her not to cheat on her despite not being in a relationship as well as to not to talk to other girls in an all-girls school.  
  
Turning her head, trying to set her eyes on anything but Diana’s angry blue ones looking back at her, Akko looked to her left to find Monet more or less overheating.  
  
 _Oh, oh crap this is probably her first impression of Diana! I should probably try to clear things u-_  
  
“And YOU!” Diana’s shout was promptly followed by her drunkenly swinging an accusatory point at Monet.  
  
“M-m-me?”  
  
“You’ve got sooooooome nerve trying to steal my....”  
  
 _Friend? Girlfriend? Date? Wife? What does she think we are?_  
  
“....Squeezy lady.”  
  
 _Squeezy lady?! And why did it take her so long to think of that?!_  
  
“Atsuko’s mine, oh!” Akko had to carefully scoop Diana to prevent her from falling off the couch as she spoke, unfortunately, it didn’t quite go well with Diana. “I don wanna snuggle right now I’m mad at you!”  
  
“Monet, ooh!” Akko tried to speak as Diana pushed against her face to try and get loose. “I’m really sorry about this, ow! She’s usually not like this. I mean she does yell at me sometimes but it's mostly cause she's nice and she looks out for me and-hey stop squirming!”  
  
The teal-haired girl looked on with boiling cheeks. “I-I-I,“ she stammered. “I’m sorry if I became between your relationship!” Monet shouted while bowing her head in guilty confusion before running the opposite way down the hall.  
  
As Akko watched Monet storm off she could feel Diana's drunken ire turn back to her.  
  
“Hey um, I-“  
  
“Apologize!” Diana shouted.  
  
There were several ways Akko could go about this, she was pretty sure all or at least most of them ended in her realizing it was pointless to argue and just giving in. After all, she couldn’t even argue with Diana normally, it wasn’t like her being too boozed-up to hear reasoning was gonna make things any easier. It was best to just get a head start on it. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”  
  
Diana pouted and wrapped her arms around Akko’s neck as she laid her head against her torso, which seemed to cheer her up slightly.  
  
“Awww, *hic* I can’t stay mad at you.”  
  
 _Great, now that she’s not angry at me I should probably get her something to help her sober up._  
  
“Hey, how about to make up for it I go get us something to drink, like water, a lot of it.”  
  
“Thas not a very good makeup gift,” Diana said with her head hanging low in what was probably the closest her brain could manage to contemplation at the moment, “but ids the thought that counts. I’m just gonna take a quick nap.”  
  
Diana just short of slammed her head against the other arm of the (thankfully very cushioned) couch and was back to being asleep within a couple of seconds, leaving Akko to deal with the situation.  
  
 _Alright, she’s back to being all asleep and not angrily jealous and stuff. I really should go get her some water but I can’t just leave her here like this!_  
  
Akko shot up to her feet and drew her wand before waving it over the couch they were sitting on. In an instant, it was wrapped in a semi-transparent barrier. The original purpose of such a spell was to keep out anything that would harm the caster, though with a few simple revisions it could be used not to keep dangerous things _out_ , but to keep drunk high schoolers _in._  
  
Along with the barrier, she summoned a small spirit to hand to Diana. “Ok I’m leaving this with you, if you need anything or have to tell me something you can talk to this and it will record and replay-“  
  
“I-know how sound spirits work Ak *hic*, Akko. I’m not dumb.” Diana said, somehow more confidently than usual.  
  
“...you’re right, how foolish of me,” Akko stated in her best monotone voice.  
  
 _How was I supposed to know you’re still smart when you’re drunk?! And I wouldn’t have had to make one to leave with you if you’d just get a stupid phone already!_

* * *

  
Even as Akko was pouring herself water from the cooler (and cursing herself for not getting one put on the second floor) she couldn’t help but try and run through the situation in her mind to get a hold of it and cool herself down.

  
_Ok no big deal, Diana’s just drunk and thinks we’re together. People get emotional and stuff all the time when they’re drunk. It doesn’t mean anything. And if it did she’s drunk! It’s not like I can talk to her about or go for something or...or-_  
  
“Woah, you ok?” Amanda asked while alerting Akko of her presence, and to the fact that the water had long been overflowing from the cup and right onto her shoes.  
  
Her situation was complicated, but talking to Amanda could be of help. Yes, Amanda was probably now the only person who started more trouble than Akko in possibly Luna Nova’s whole history, but she was also a lot better at getting out of trouble.  
  
Akko set her two cups of water on the table and proceeded to lazily slump down against the wall next to it. “I’ve been working all day to set up this party and I’m already tired, and now I have something else I have to deal with which might take up my whole night.”  
  
“Wow really? How’d you mess that up?” Amanda asked while sitting down next to her.  
  
“So um-“  
  
“No good sentence starts with ‘so um’, if you’ve got bad news just get out with it,” Amanda said taking another sip of her drink, “oh, and if it’s something to get you in trouble try saying all of it at once really fast so people will be more confused or surprised than mad. That advice is on me but if you want more it’ll cost ya.”  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m not the one that messed up this time, Diana did.”  
  
“Wow, Cavendish is the screw-up now? Gotta say didn’t see that coming. Still doesn’t explain how that ends up as your mess though.”  
  
“About that, remember when you told me Diana doesn’t drink?”  
  
“Ohhh boy how drunk is she?” Amanda asked, both out of wanting to assess the damages and for personal amusement.  
  
“I let her try that wine my mom sent me and after one glass she got mad at a first-year for talking to me and told her to stay away from her ‘Squeezy lady’”  
  
The blank somewhat absent look in Amanda’s eyes at that moment was unlike anything Akko had ever seen before.  
  
“Uh, Amanda?”  
  
Amanda wanted to laugh, but it was as if all she could feel was tranquillity. She’d just heard what was probably the funniest thing she may ever hear from her friend and yet there was nothing. It was like she’d reached a point where she didn’t even need to laugh, like she’d reached a higher state of—and nope, turns out she just needed a minute to fully soak in how funny that visual was. In moments, Amanda had gone from a blank unreadable slate of a face to lying on her back, kicking and clutching her stomach from laughing too hard. The speed of the transition shocked Akko and made a few others stop to look as well.  
  
“Hey, you ok? People are sorta staring.” Akko asked, at this point mostly just concerned about her friend.  
  
“Ahh sorry about that,” Amanda reentered the conversation sufficiently out of breath, “I know I said to just get out with it but you can’t just drop that on me. I think I was in nirvana or something there for a second.”  
  
“Not that I’m not happy for you laughing at my expense and all, but you still haven’t told me what I should do now.”  
  
“What? Oh! Right, I was giving you advice”  
Amanda was still recovering from the mental image of the words ‘squeezy lady’ coming out of the mouth of a repressed heiress or noble or whatever Diana was (truth be told Amanda never bothered to find out). “Well you let her get drunk so it's stills kinda your screwup. So I say take care of her now and cash in on her later.”  
  
“And how am I supposed to do that?”  
  
“Tell her she threw up in your bag so she has to ‘replace’ the class notes she messed up.”  
  
“...you’re a genius.”  
  
“Finally someone sees it.” Amanda not so subtly bragged while confidently placing both hands behind her head. “By the way you have a thing on you.  
  
“I what? Oh!” Akko turned her head to see the little arms of the spirit she created trying desperately to climb on top of her shoulder.  
She laid her hand out for it to step on and brought it closer to her face, as well as Amanda’s who’d leaned in closer out of curiosity.  
  
“This is the spirit I made to watch Diana. Annnnd the fact that it’s here and not with her probably isn’t a good sign.”  
  
“No time to waste then!” Amanda promptly grabbed the tiny spirit and gave it a few shakes before holding it up closer to their ears; the spirit's mouth opened to play back the sound it captured  
  
The first couple seconds were just muffled sounds of the party in the background before a familiar voice spoke up. “Atsukkooooooooo,” the voice of the drunken Cavendish girl wailed out in neediness, to the giggles of Amanda and already overworked groan of Akko, “I’m *hic* I’m lost.”  
  
“WHAT!?” Akko screamed, drawing more stares from partygoers.  
  
“You didn’t leave anyone watching her?”  
  
While the answer was a no, she did feel a little offended at the notion she’d just abandon a drunk friend at a party. “I put her in a barrier, I didn’t think I needed to!”  
  
“Did you take her wand away? If not she could’ve probably gotten out and be anywhere by now.” Again, the answer was no.  
  
The recording continued to play. “It’s too dark, I can’t see anything!” Diana’s voice whined again dramatically before the recording cut off.  
  
Akko rushed to her feet and stuffed the spirit in her pocket before picking up the water she poured and beginning to take off. “Excuse me for thinking being drunk would make her magic worse than mine for once!”  
  
Akko ran back up the cafeteria stairs in a mad dash trying not to slosh water everywhere.  
  
 _Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out! She couldn’t have gotten far, and if she went downstairs I’ll probably be able to see her from up there! But what if she got outside the cafeteria?! Think Akko! What places would be dark, broom closets, empty classrooms, hopefully not the middle of a forest somewhere._  
  
 _..._  
  
The good news was she found Diana...approximately 0 feet from where she left her.  
  
“Atsukkoooooooo.” Diana was laid completely face down against the cushions of the couch, “Ish hard to breath in here.”  
  
Akko sat down beside her and let out probably the deepest sigh of her life, she peeled her drunken classmate off her stomach and up so they were looking at each other.  
  
Diana’s face seemed foggy, and her eyes were still adjusting to the bright multi-colored lights after having a faceful of furniture for the last several minutes. As soon as they focused on her friend turned temporary caretaker, the change was immediate and her face lit up in a way Akko didn’t think was possible.  
  
“Atsuko!” Diana shouted jubilantly before tackle hugging the poor girl onto her back. “I miss’dyou so much!” The way Diana was rubbing her face into Akko’s neck was not helping the girl's repressed crushed at the moment.  
  
“I-I uh, I missed you too,” Akko said, trying and failing to pull back and get some personal space.  
  
*sniff*  
  
 _Huh?_  
  
Diana’s embrace turned from light cuddling to a very stiff yet shaky grip, all as her sniffles got louder and more frequent.  
  
 _Is she, is she crying?_  
  
“Atsuko,” the happy tone of her voice was gone, replaced with somber seriousness “Please don’t leave again.”  
  
 _I was gone for like 3 minutes, but I suppose I’m already the jerk for making her cry._  
  
“I’m sorry, I’ll stay with you,” Akko reassured, lying one hand on the back of her head and the other across the small of her back.  
  
The two had been so wrapped up, neither heard the small footsteps coming up the staircase.  
  
“Oh...my god.” The two turned to see Amanda staring at them with her jaw agape.  
  
“A-Amanda, this isn’t-ow!” Diana tightened her grip especially hard as she began to stare right back at Amanda.  
  
“Relax Cavendish, I’m not here to intrude on your lady.”  
  
Akko was already regretting telling her about that  
  
“Akko, are you gonna be alright staying with her the whole night, don’t you still have stuff to set up for the party?”  
  
“Oh right, crap! I’ll try and get someone to watch her!” Akko tried to struggle onto her feet to the dismay of Diana, but was ultimately pushed back down by Amanda’s hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Woah there Akko. Don’t upset your girl, I got this. Just text me whatever you still gotta do for the night”  
  
Akko first felt relieved, and then suspicious. “What’s the catch?”  
  
“You do something stupid I can make fun of every other day, Diana’s too careful about screwing up around me though. This though, I don’t think you understand how much mileage I’m gonna get out of this one. Honestly, you don’t even need to get me a Christmas gift, any more than this and I’ll feel spoiled.”  
  
There was a part of Akko that felt Amanda took a little too much joy in times like these, but there was another part that realized she was probably playing it up because she was too embarrassed to just say “Don’t worry about it Akko, it’s what friends are for” at the risk of sounding uncool. She definitely did appreciate it though, and she didn’t mind getting—er, _having_ to spend more time with Diana.  
  
“Oh yeah, Diana before I forget,” Akko awkwardly reached her arm behind her head while laying down on the couch with Diana on top of her to grab the cup of water she had gotten. “Drink this.”  
  
Diana looked at it and even sniffed it inquisitively ( _weird)_ before taking it in her hands and sitting right side up on the other end of the couch. Diana quickly downed half the cup.  
  
“Feel any different?” Akko asked hopefully.  
  
“This water tastes funny.”  
  
“I mean we put some lemons in the container to try and make it taste nice.” Diana wasn’t buying it and crinkled her nose at Akko.  
  
“You better not be trying to get me drunk! If you want to fool around then you can just ask!”  
  
Akko promptly closed her eyes and facepalmed in tired silence, left to wonder whether the thud noise she just heard was Diana immediately falling over after she was done talking or Amanda falling on her back about to burst out laughing again.


	4. The party winds down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the party gradually reaches its conclusion, our girls are tired and need some sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the second half of part 3, also about me joking about it being a Christmas fic that wouldn’t be finished til February...looks like March might’ve been more accurate (I’m sorry school is the worst and I wasn’t expecting this to end up being 10,000+ words)

Most of Akko’s night with Diana proceeded similarly to how it started, though there were a few highlights.

  * Having to stand outside the door while Diana used the bathroom and having to reassure her every 15 seconds that she was still there.
  * Catching Diana trying to take another sip of wine and coaxing her to spit it out like a dog.
  * Trying to have normal conversation about Diana’s usual favorite topics (magical history, interesting parts of their classes, etc.) which she found incredibly boring.
  * Teaching her how to play patty cake, surprisingly significantly more effective at keeping her preoccupied.
  * Singing along to whatever lyrics Diana made up for Christmas carols she didn’t know the words to.



Despite not being very active in the party out of the sudden need to be a chaperone, Akko felt as if she had enough long-lasting memories and exhaustion under her belt that she might as well have been the party queen. Well, except for the girl napping at her side, who seemed to have completely partied herself out to the point of being completely asleep this time.  
  
_I should probably try and get her back to her room so she can sleep where it’s quiet._  
  
The younger students had already cleared out, meaning Akko wasn’t as worried about sending a bad impression of Diana by carrying her out drunk and asleep on her shoulders. The remaining students were mostly people they’d known for years and would have gotten used to seeing weirder antics than that. One special problem did arise though  
  
_Come ooooooooon where are they?_  
  
Akko, whilst piggyback carrying Diana, had surveyed the entire lunchroom twice and couldn’t find any sign of Hannah and Barbara to collect their roommate.  
  
She did however zero in on Sucy and Lotte, who were both questioning why she looked out of breath and carrying a sleeping Cavendish.  
  
“Have *wheeze* you seen *wheeze* Hannah or Barbara?” She asked, ready to pass her role of Diana’s caretaker on to somebody else for the night. Her question seemed innocent enough, except Lotte and Sucy just shared looks and then turned back to raise an eyebrow at Akko.  
  
Sucy was the first to speak up “You do know they’re not exactly available at the moment, right?”  
  
“...what?”  
  
“Spoiled egg nog,” Lotte chimed in “It looks like they were trying to use a cold spell to keep it fresh in their dorm. I’ve always wanted to try doing something like that but I would be too worried about maintaining the temperature, looks like I’m not the only one who had the idea.”  
  
While she’d come to think of the two as friends, Akko did wish she could package the situation and send it back 3 years to past Akko, who would undoubtedly enjoy it a lot more. Nevertheless, she had a job to do and those two being out with nog-related illness wasn’t helping.  
  
“Alright then, in that case, I’m gonna go drop her off in her room and then go to bed.” Under normal circumstances, Akko being the first of their team to turn in for the night was crazy talk, but the bags under her eyes and the rasp of her voice told enough of a story that her teammates weren’t going to question it.  
  
“See ya tomorrow than, we have a project with Conse and Jasminka we were gonna work on tonight so don’t wait up. Also before you go,” Sucy rummaged through her pockets and pulled out one of many almost identical vials without looking first.  
  
_Does she recognize them based on the sounds they make?_  
  
“Give her some of this before she wakes up.”  
Sucy commanded nonchalantly.  
  
“Yeah right, she’s already drunk I don’t need to double poison her.”  
  
“It’s not poison idiot. Well it was supposed to be something along those lines but it ended up doing the opposite of what I wanted, so it’s useless to me” Sucy said before creeping into a smirk. “What, were you worried I was cheating on you by poisoning someone else for a change?”  
  
It was meant as a joke but it was met with a shushing finger by Akko. “No no no no nope! I’ve had enough with the accusations of cheating tonight. Harumph!” She grumbled as she stomped off, much to her roommate's confusion.  
  
“What was that about?”  
**“What was that about?”**  
  


* * *

  
Akko carefully carried Diana down the hall and both heard the music and saw the lights of the party gradually fade behind her until she found herself at the door to Diana’s dorm.  
  
_It’s been...strange, but nice hanging out with you tonight Di, but it’s time to go to bed, you and me both._  
  
Again, not wanting to drop down and pick Diana up again, Akko tried to reach her hands backward and get Diana’s key from her pockets. In the process though, causing the asleep girl to start slipping and her awake carrier to start panicking and sliding around on the floor trying to regain her balance.  
  
Eventually, she did get Diana’s key out, only for it to fall onto the floor...and accidentally kick it under the door trying to get her footing. The very same doors which the school has put charms on so they couldn’t be unlocked by magic.  
  
Odds are even if she cried or screamed or banged her head against the door repeatedly, no one else would hear her and Diana would sleep through it. Except for someone as goal-oriented as Akko, it seemed dumb to go through an incredibly exhausting night and decide to collapse _outside_ of a bedroom. She wasn’t against crying when she was sad or yelling when she was upset, but on top of the reasoning that it wouldn’t help at the moment, she lacked the energy to do either.  
  
_I. Just. Want. Sleep._  
  
With her boundaries of how embarrassed she could be—both by her friends and her own actions—pushed to a new limit, Akko decided on a new plan.  
  
“Come on Diana, we’re going to my room.” She whispered before making her way down her usual path back to her own dorm.  
  
Having an easier time reaching inside her own pockets, Akko managed to get her key out and succeeded in her second attempt of the challenge known as ‘unlocking a door’. Once inside she began to wonder how best to approach things.  
  
_If Lotte and Sucy aren’t coming back then there should be enough beds for both of us. I kinda don’t wanna get near Sucy’s bed after last time, and Lotte would probably be upset if I just let somebody else sleep in her bed. In that case, I’ll put Diana in my bed, and just use Lotte’s for tonight, I’m sure she won’t mind if it’s me._  
  
A solid plan in theory. However as Akko began tucking the sleepy Cavendish into her own bed and (against her better judgment) giving Diana the contents of Sucy’s mystery vial, she felt the girl's hands lightly grip her sleeve. If she had moved her hand even the slightest bit faster, Diana’s would have fallen off her shirt without her even noticing, but the events of early in the night had more than accustomed Akko to be gentle and attentive with her drunk friend. It was that same carefulness that allowed Akko to hear a barely audible whisper coming from her bed.  
  
“You said you’d stay.”  
  
She spoke with closed eyes, she may have even been talking in her sleep. Her voice was humble, weak, things Diana Cavendish never allowed herself to be, at least not publicly. But the Diana Cavendish known to the public, to herself, and to Atsuko Kagari in private were three different people. The latter two were by far the closest, even after the events of earlier that night had her chestnut-haired friend questioning how much she really knew about her friend.  
  
_I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I feel like there’s definitely something you’re not telling me. Although I guess I’m kinda hiding something from you too._  
  
Diana’s hands moved down from Akko’s sleeves to her hands, instead of a grip she was just barely hanging off the girl's fingertips with her own.  
  
“Don’t leave.”  
  
Mostly for convenience sake, Akko had been indulging drunk Diana for the better part of the past few hours, but getting in bed with a drunk person you secretly have a crush on had to be crossing a line. Even as she considered the possibility and mentally kicked herself for doing so, she was trying to sort through the implications and remind herself it was literally just “getting in bed with her” and not “ _getting in bed with her”._ It would be a tough situation to explain in the morning but perhaps more than anything, more than her desire to just get to sleep, more than wanting to embrace her crush or wanting to fulfill her demand...  
  
She just didn’t want to make Diana cry again, drunk or not.  
  
It probably wasn’t the smartest justification, nor was it even good enough to relieve her of the internal question of whether she was doing the right thing, but there she was, getting under the covers and stroking the platinum-blonde hair of her troubled companion. “I’m right here.”  
  
_Am I a bad friend for doing this? Of course not Akko, you’re a great friend! Besides, if I was just doing this for myself, I wouldn’t have hesitated earlier. I would’ve just let it happen._  
  


* * *

**_  
Earlier that night_**  
  
The party was showing its first major signs of slowing. The number of people deciding to turn in for the night shifted from individuals to groups, the music had been turned down a few notches to accommodate people trying to sleep, and most of the good food was finished. It was still lively, but it was clear it reached its peak a while back.  
  
Meanwhile, Akko still sat on the second floor on the same couch she had been in for the last hour, running her hands through her drunken friend's hair. She’d calmed down considerably, though her flirtatious attitude towards Akko was still very present.  
  
“I likwhen you touch my hair.” Such an activity had started out somewhat outside of Akko’s comfort zone especially with how clingy Diana was being, but it had done wonders to keep her calm. “I like when you hug me and do nice things for me. But...”  
  
_But?_  
  
“How come,” She laid her arms over Akko’s shoulders and sat up straighter. Pushing forward and shifting her weight, she slowly pushed Akko onto her back and hung over top of her, “how come we haven’t kissed yet?”  
  
In reality, it was an absurd question with a very easy answer. Except for Akko, it felt like more than that. Diana and Akko had the type of relationship where they could tell each other everything, except for obvious reasons romantic feelings weren’t among the things that usually keep up in conversation. One thing that was common among their talks however would be for Akko to get something off her chest, and only in that moment realize it was bothering her more than she was aware. From there, it was usually a lot easier to let go of the weight she was carrying.  
  
As crazy it sounded to herself, she decided that the present circumstance (especially the part where Diana likely wouldn’t remember any of it) proved to be a good time to answer Diana’s question truthfully, and perhaps with more information than was necessary.  
  
“I don’t know why. I mean I know why we haven’t, but I don’t know why I haven’t tried.” Lotte’s words plagued her again,  
  
_“don’t count yourself out”_  
  
“I should have just asked you, if you wanted to I mean.”  
  
Diana’s eyes were gleaming, filled with a mixture of longing and adoration. “I do.”  
  
She pushed forward and clasped both hands together behind Akko’s head, gently pulling both of their faces closer...  
  
And closer...  
  
And closer...  
  
Until...  
  
“Wait wait wait wait wait!” Akko stammered while pushing Diana back with her face still stuck in smooching position. “I didn’t mean that we should now!”  
  
“Wha? But, so you don’t wanna anymore?” Diana seemed to have learned a thing or two subconsciously from Akko as she was employing the same puppy dog eyes Akko had used many times to get herself out of trouble, and from the opposite end, Akko could see how truly unfair they were.  
  
“It’s not that I, I mean, it’s not that I don’t. I just, I can’t kiss someone while they’re drunk. it’s not right!”  
  
Perhaps because the alcohol had time to wear off slightly, the look of sadness on Diana’s face seemed more real as she slowly descended and placed her head next to Akko’s.  
  
“But, if we don’t do it now, I’ll be too scared later.” Her word came out somewhat mumbled, but they packed plenty of emotions.  
  
“I know how you feel, but I don’t know if it’s even how you _actually_ feel.” It was embarrassing and even more so personally defeating to have to refuse Diana when in truth she didn’t want to, but she had to, “I’d be a bad friend if I took advantage of you being drunk.”  
  
The way they were lying down, they couldn’t see each other’s faces anymore as Diana had gone from just hovering over her to collapsed on top of her, with their cheeks slightly touching. It was strange, but at her refusal, Akko could have sworn she felt Diana’s cheeks get warmer.  
  
“If it’s not ok if I’m drunk, then if I go to bed and wake up shober, it’ll be ok then?”  
  
Akko didn’t want to lie and just say “sure” as if the situation wasn’t more complicated, but she also didn’t want to lie and say she didn’t want to.  
  
_You can do this, just be really careful about what you say next._  
  
“If you still want to tomorrow when you’re sober, than we can.”  
  
Her words elicited a light hum from Diana which Akko felt reverberate through her cheeks and down to her chest.  
  
“Can’t wait,” Diana spoke softly before promptly falling asleep for the final time of the party, as if wanting to make the time pass faster until the morning, where she could then have her long-awaited kiss.


End file.
